IX. 49, 50.

CHAP. here the reference to salt in the forty-ninth verse may have suggested the application of a figure, which the disciples had heard from the Lord's lips on other occasions, and which would on that very account affect their minds the more.

This, however, seems certain, that in endeavouring to understand the verses, the two must be considered apart, and then the difficulty attaches itself almost entirely to the former. In the elucidation of it, it is to Lev. ii. 13. be observed that reference is clearly made to the Levitical law, according to which every offering was to be offered with salt; and it is further to be observed, that the and between the two clauses of the verse has probably the sense of as, or even as; so that the verse would run thus, Every one shall be salted with fire, even as every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Further it seems probable that the phrase every one refers to what the Lord has already spoken, every one of the persons to whom He has been alluding as those whose fire is not quenched: as though He had said, Do not be surprised that I speak of fire, for every one of those who do not enter into the kingdom of God shall be salted with fire: they are in a certain sense sacrifices too; not living sacrifices in this world, but men who having transgressed against the Lord must be consumed, and must become an abhorring unto all flesh. And lastly, when the Lord speaks of salt having lost its saltness, He seems to recognize the fact, that there may be and is, in the judgment of God, a fire which will be able to consume, when it has no power to purify.

Isaiah lxvi. 24.

CHAPTER X.

his

CHAP.

X.

I-12.

xix. 1-9.

1. And He arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judea, by the farther side of Jordan: and the s. Matt. people resort unto Him again; and, as He was wont, He taught them again. 2. And the Pharisees came to Him, and asked Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away wife? tempting Him. 3. And He answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 4. And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8. And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 10. And in the house His disciples asked Him again of the same matter. 11. And He said unto them, Who- s. Luke soever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. 12. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

xvi. 18.

tion of

The conversation of our Lord with the Pharisees re- The quesspecting divorce is given substantially in the same form divorce.

1 "Here is need of a discerning eye, to distinguish of the true time, and method of this story, and of Christ's journey. If you make use of such an eye, you will find half-a-year or thereabouts to come between

I-12.

CHAP. by S. Matthew and S. Mark.' The chief distinction is X. this, that whereas in the former Evangelist we find our Lord, in speaking of the unlawfulness of putting away a wife, throwing in the parenthesis, except it be for fornication, we do not find any such qualification introduced in the latter. The question has consequently been raised, which of the evangelical reports is to be taken as ruling the meaning of the other? are we to suppose that S. Mark omitted an important restriction of the generality of our Lord's decision; or are we to regard his omission of the exception recorded by S. Matthew as indicating, that we do not rightly understand that exception, if we take it in its obvious sense?

To me I confess there seems to be no reasonable ground of doubt. S. Mark appears to have omitted only that, which it might be supposed that every one would supply; whether after separation for the cause of unfaithfulness to the marriage vow parties should be per

the uttering the words immediately before going, and this travail of our Saviour: however it seems to be intimated by our Evangelist, and likewise by Matthew, that when He had finished these words, forthwith He entered upon His journey: when in truth He went before to Jerusalem, through the midst of Samaria, to the Feast of Tabernacles, Luke ix. 51, &c.; John vii. And again from Galilee, after He had returned thither, through the cities and towns, to Jerusalem, Luke xiii. 22, to the Feast of Tabernacles, John x. 22. And again beyond Jordan indeed, John x. 40, but first taking His way into Galilee, and thence beyond Jordan, according to that story which is before us."-LIGHTFOOT.

:

1 But compare verses 3, 4, 5 with the parallel verses in S. Matthew xix. 7, 8, 9, and observe that, whereas our Evangelist represents the Lord as referring to Moses, according to the other the reference is made by the Pharisees this is a difference of no moment, but it proves that the two accounts are independent of each other. Observe, in like manner, that the saying of our Lord contained in verse 11, which in S. Mark is spoken to the disciples in the house, would seem from S. Matthew, xix. 9, to have been spoken in public to the Pharisees.

X.

1-12.

mitted to marry again is not so clear, but that unfaith- CHAP. fulness is a sufficient ground for separation appears to be dictated by the laws of nature; and I apprehend that our Lord did but express an exception to the general law of marriage, which the very nature of the marriage bond both implies and justifies.

The question concerning marriage was one introduced by the Pharisees. They came tempting Him. The question which they put was one debated in their schools, one great division of their learned men taking one side, and another the other side; and it was therefore a very good test of the pretensions of any new teacher. How does our Lord solve the difficulty? By going beyond all the school arguments of the Scribes, and looking at the original act of God. He celebrated the first marriage. What did He mean when He made Adam and Eve one flesh? What was the idea of marriage, as indicated by that primæval wedding, in which God Himself was both father and priest?

Yet the subject was evidently one which puzzled the people of those days; we see this from a little fact, which S. Mark after his manner has preserved for us. In the house His disciples asked Him again of the same matter. It was not merely a wicked mischief-making question on the part of the Pharisees; it was one which troubled the disciples as well; and they did what was very wise, namely, waited until they were with Christ alone, and then asked Him to enlighten their minds.

13. And they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14. But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not:

s. Matt.

xix. 13-15.

s. Luke

xviii. 15-17.

X.

13-16.

CHAP. for of such is the kingdom of God. 15. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.

Christ blessing

ren.

S. Mark's report of this most interesting scene in our little child- Saviour's life, is the one chosen by the Church of England for the lesson read to the people on the occasion of the public baptism of infants. On comparing it with the reports given by S. Matthew and S. Luke, we may easily perceive that it is rightly chosen; it is the fullest and most minute of the three. There are however only two additional circumstances given, but both of these are interesting.

Infant Baptism implied.

In the first place, S. Mark tells us that when the Lord saw the disciples rebuking those who brought the little children, He was much displeased. They might possibly fancy that they were consulting His dignity, or His comfort; but they were certainly shewing a glaring ignorance of His true character and His real wishes. The Lord's displeasure indicates, I conceive, disappointment at the spiritual state of His disciples, grief that having heard His teaching so long they had not understood it better. He had never yet said, in so many words, "I am willing to bless little children;" but the spirit of His ministry implied it. And in like manner, though the Scripture nowhere says, "Bring your little children to holy baptism," I think the spirit of Scripture is so clear, that Christ may well be displeased with those who forbid them to be brought.

The other addition made by S. Mark is in the description of our Lord's conduct towards these children. He tells us that the Lord not only put His hands upon